


Time and Trouble

by shinyopals



Category: Marvel (Movies), Marvel Cinematic Universe, Thor (Movies)
Genre: Awesome Jane Foster, During Canon, F/M, Frigga Lives, Gen, Jane Foster Loves Science, POV Frigga, Post-Canon Fix-It, Thor Is Not Stupid, Thor: The Dark World
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2015-01-19
Updated: 2015-01-19
Packaged: 2018-03-08 07:06:17
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 3
Words: 13,978
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/3200054
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/shinyopals/pseuds/shinyopals
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Frigga thinks she knows exactly what to expect from the rest of her life. Then one son perishes and returns, whilst the other falls for a mortal woman who's like nothing Frigga could have predicted.</p><p>(Frigga's POV from the end of <i>Thor</i> right through to post-TDW.)</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> Massive, massive thanks to [Niobium](http://archiveofourown.org/users/Niobium/) for the beta!

It's impossible to imagine how much can change in just a few short days.

Frigga, who's seen her life roll smoothly on for centuries, unfolding with simple predictability as she and Odin have watched her boys train and grow into men worthy of the throne of Asgard, is forced to live at a frantic, almost mortal, pace. Just one week before the palace had been busy and bustling and warmly awaiting the new king. Now one son is dead, the other withdrawn, her husband angry, and she's left trying to hold her head high amidst the swirling rumours, sideways stares, and heaviness in her heart.

She'd known Loki held more anger than he would ever let on, even before he discovered his heritage. She'd thought to wait, for him to speak to her or even to Thor. Now she knows she failed him.

The first time the remains of her family dine together, Thor asks why Loki denied their brotherhood when they fought. The adoption is simple enough to explain. The lies told less so. Her son accepts what he is told with perfect, bland equanimity.

'He was still my brother, whether he believed so in anger or not,' is all he says. Frigga wishes he'd get angry.

'Tell me,' says Odin, 'when you sought to journey to Jotunheim, what did he say?'

Frigga feels herself take a breath at his words. Must they return to that day?

'He said nothing.' Thor's words are calm, but there's a slight raise of his head and jutting out of his chin.

'Are you certain?'

'I am. My actions were my own. Loki, as my friends, joined me at my behest.'

Later, Frigga finds him at the end of the broken bridge, staring out across the splintered edge into the stars. He is alone, which she does not expect. She's never known the bridge to be unguarded by Heimdall.

He seems surprised to see her.

'I heard your approach, but I thought you were Heimdall,' he says, looking strangely sheepish at the admission. 'He must still be with the scholars. They hope to use his knowledge to help restore the Bifrost.'

'That would be a relief,' she says. 'He sent word to your father that already our enemies begin to notice our absence. It will not be long before the other realms need us.'

'It will not be that easy,' Thor replies. 'Heimdall believes the answers will not come from within Asgard.' He's looking out at the stars again.

Frigga ignores the stab of disappointment – without the Bifrost there seems little hope that the rest of the realms will remain at peace – and instead follows her son's gaze.

'Is that where he fell?' she asks.

Thor's head shifts a little and he gestures. Frigga realises his mind was not on his brother, but she can think of little else as she looks out into the void. It is cold and dark and would be quite empty but for the softly twinkling stars.

'It is a fitting place for him to rest,' she says. Beautiful, but distant.

Thor inclines his head to agree.

'What _did_ your brother say to you when you proposed the visit to Jotunheim?' she asks him.

He starts, glances at her, and then looks away quickly. 'He said nothing.'

'Thor?'

'Mother, does it matter?' asks Thor, voice strained at last. 'It was my choice that led to this. Whatever Loki's counsel, the fact of that changes not.'

Frigga sighs. 'At first I hoped he was simply acting out of anger at the secrets kept from him,' she said. 'But more and more I wonder how long he had planned this. And then I wonder if his plans could have foreseen his death.'

Thor doesn't answer, returning his gaze to the stars. Frigga does the same, hoping that wherever her second son is now, he's at peace.

~*~

It takes some time for her and Odin to realise just how frequently Thor visits the broken bridge. He is old enough to keep his own company, but when he is the one who delivers Heimdall's reports of first a growing army near Alfheim, then a power struggle on Jotunheim, and then quiet mutterings of rebellion on Ria it becomes clear he must be there often.

'Thank you, my son,' says Odin after Thor has spoken of Ria. 'But you must surely know you do not have to stand and wait on Heimdall's word. Do not feel guilt for destroying the bridge, for you have saved the lives of many.'

Again, she sees the slight raising of Thor's head and jutting of chin, and thinks his expression is too deliberately blank as he replies.

'Thank you, Father,' he says. 'Perhaps you are correct. May I go? I would speak with my friends about this news.'

The next message from Heimdall is delivered by one of the guards: brigands are roaming on Vanaheim. Thor does not appear, but Frigga had seen him ride out to the Bifrost that morning and she begins to wonder just what it is he will not say.

The first night after Loki's death and Thor's return, Sif had made a small number of curious comments about his time on Midgard. Ordinarily Frigga might have questioned her further, but instead she'd dismissed them out of hand, her focus on the loss of Loki. Now, though, she starts to think maybe she was a fool to do so. Could Thor's attention really be still focussed toward Midgard?

Sif is in her rooms in the palace. She's covered with the dust and grime of a hard day's work for a warrior. There's blood on her knuckles but no cuts to be seen, meaning it's not likely to be her own. She apologises for her state, and invites her Queen to take a drink with her, which Frigga gladly accepts.

'You've been fighting?' asks Frigga.

'Nothing serious,' says Sif, with a wave of one hand. 'There are always new soldiers in need of training, and there are always men amongst them who think a woman will be an easy sparring partner.'

At that, they exchange a smile.

'You've heard the news of Vanaheim?'

Sif's smile vanishes and she nods. 'Thor spoke to us and to Hogun,' she says. 'So far Heimdall says his family are removed from the danger, but we do not know for how long that will remain the case.'

'There will be war when the Bifrost is returned to us,' says Frigga, thinking of her tired husband and one remaining son.

Sif nods again, this time with all the eagerness and determination of youth. 'That is why we keep our swords sharp, and wits even sharper,' she says. 'I only hope that until then Hogun's family are safe.'

Frigga has seen too many wars, but smiles all the same. 'I know you will fight when the time comes,' she says. 'It would be better if it did not have to come to that.'

She looks at the woman she still hopes to one day call 'Daughter' and wonders if, given that, the main purpose of her visit might not be insensitive. However, Sif has never displayed any concern about the other women in Thor's life, enough that Frigga has wondered if she might have imagined the Lady's good feelings. She certainly isn't sure of her son's. She hopes one day they might find each other, if the time is right, but as yet it does not seem to be so.

'Sif, when Thor returned from Midgard... you spoke of a mortal woman?'

Sif starts and then hesitates. 'My Queen, I fear I may have spoken out of turn,' she says. 'And in truth there was nothing to say.'

'I do not ask you to break my son's confidences,' she replies with a kind smile. 'But I know he spends too long at the bridge, and I know it is neither thoughts of his brother nor the outbreak of war which draws him there. Will you tell me what you know of her?'

After a moment, Sif speaks again. 'I know very little,' she admits. 'She took him in on Midgard without knowing who he was, and had him fed and clothed. The Destroyer was only a short while behind our arrival, so I barely spoke with her. But she is brave: when we were attacked she insisted on remaining to help the people of the town even when Thor sought to protect her.'

Frigga nods, feeling at last that she might be able to begin to understand. The women in her son's past have inevitably been as brave and stubborn as he – in no small part why she has such hopes for Sif. Why, months later, he seems to continue to ask Heimdall after this mortal woman is less understandable, but she doesn't think Sif will be able or willing to answer that.

'Thank you, Lady Sif,' she says, then hesitates for a second before putting one final question. 'What is her name?'

'Jane,' says Sif at last. 'Jane Foster, I think.'

~*~

She is quietly and carefully rebuffed by Thor when she broaches the subject of his continued visits to the Bifrost. Somewhere in the past few months he has learned a thing or two of Loki's slipperiness, and this makes her heart ache for both of her sons. In the end, she decides to leave him his privacy. No young man could wish to share all of his feelings with his mother, after all, but she hopes eventually he will speak with her.

It is too much to hope for Odin to do the same once he realises the situation, and one day she walks in on the tail end of an argument in her husband's rooms.

'-not see that it is your business,' Thor is insisting.

'It is very much my business,' snaps Odin. 'When my only son-' Frigga flinches '-should be readying himself for war and then the throne of Asgard, instead he spends hours staring at nothingness, distracting our guard with irrelevancies.'

'I assure you I am as ready for war as I need to be,' growls Thor. 'And Heimdall is too good a guard to be distracted by my _irrelevancies_.'

'You cannot think there is a future in this?'

'I do not. She was kind to me. I wish to see she is not harmed by the instabilities in the realms.' He folds his arms, not even pretending that he is not lying, but clearly fed up of the argument. 'If you have tasks for me, then please speak of them, but my free time is still my own to do with as I choose.'

'Oh, do let him go, Odin,' says Frigga impatiently. 'Young men must follow their hearts, and Fandral and Volstagg were looking for him. They wished for a fight on the courts,' she explains to Thor, who gives a slight smile and a nod before turning back to his father.

'Very well,' says Odin abruptly. 'Go, train your men and yourself. Do not waste your hours on pointless daydreams.'

Thor looks set to argue again but Frigga clears her throat and raises an eyebrow. He very quickly shuts his mouth with a guilty look at her, and leaves the room.

'You knew of this?' Odin demands.

'I had a suspicion,' she admits. 'I do not think it worth fighting over.'

'He cannot possibly think-'

'Of course he does not,' says Frigga. 'He knows as well as we what mortal lives are.'

Odin sighs. 'If he had the Bifrost he could simply visit her, enjoy her company, and then grow bored of her, and that would be the end of that.'

'Indeed,' says Frigga, who remembers many Asgardians doing exactly that but does not like to think her son would ever number amongst them. 'He's grieving his brother, Odin, and he's uncertain of the throne where he never was before. A deserved uncertainty, and he will be a better king because of it, but I think he searches for comfort, and I think this is how. In a few months, all will be forgotten.'

Odin gives her a small smile and reaches forward to take her hand. 'In matters of the heart I must trust you,' he says.

She smiles in return.

Later she seeks out Thor in his rooms.

'You think I should apologise to Father?' he asks, immediately defensive.

Frigga laughs. 'Do _you_ think you should?' she says, raising an eyebrow. He looks guilty. 'Thor, I cannot tell you how relieved I was to find you arguing. Since Midgard you've accepted your father's words with no hint of reproach. It worried me that you'd lost something of yourself in your banishment!'

At that he laughs too, gesturing for her to sit beside him. 'No, I have just learned to better pick my battles,' he says.

'And this is one that is important?' she asks, suddenly thinking of the 'few months' she'd earlier promised Odin.

He hesitates. 'I promised her I would return,' he admits at last. 'I should like to keep that promise.'

'I can understand that,' she assures him and reaches out to take one of his hands. 'Thor, I know you do not wish to hear this, but you should try to heed your father. Your time is your own, but if you spend it all beside the Bifrost, you'll never cease thinking of her. It would be better to stop now. The longer this goes on, the more painful it will become.'

Thor considers her words with a sigh. 'Perhaps you are right,' he admits. 'I should try- But she was- I'd like to see her.'

She thinks he does try.

She hopes he does, rather. He certainly seems to stop his overly frequent visits to the Bifrost, but she supposes he simply might be hiding them better. He does not, as far as she can tell, display interest in any other women, but he laughs with his friends and fights with his men and takes lessons from his father the same way he always has done (if with a slightly more even temper). Slowly their family is beginning to heal, and despite the constant reminder of wars they cannot help with, a normality returns.

Then she dreams that Loki is not dead and her world shatters once more.

When Odin sends a pale-faced Thor to Midgard – there's only energy for one, so it has to be their best – she retires to her rooms and weeps.

She remembers her youngest son as he was: a tiny babe in her arms, handed to her with hardly an explanation except that they hadn't been able to have a second child, and how he'd been crying and then he'd opened his eyes and smiled and she'd loved him; then as a young boy, running around after his older brother, desperate to keep up; then older, realising his magic was like her own, and their shared smiles as he learned something new. She remembers teaching him how to fight over many hours ('you and I, my son, will never be as strong as your brother, which simply means we have to be faster'); consoling him after his first love turned sour; and chasing him around the palace when he snuck away from meeting the ambassador from Alfheim.

Then she thinks of the face she saw in her visions: thin and drawn and anger in his eyes. He has an army at his command. He is not the boy he was.

She has to believe he could be, though. Without hope, what does she have?

Before Thor returns, she leaves her rooms and orders a cell be prepared in the dungeons. The highest forms of protection against magic must be included, and she personally oversees them all. Odin tries to argue: Heimdall has been giving him constant updates of Loki's deeds on Earth and Thor's progress (Midgardian heroes... she'd not been expecting that) and inside she feels her resolve shake. What has her son become?

In the end she makes her decision, and sends Odin away with sharp words and an ultimatum. Loki's fate is sealed.

~*~

Loki's return changes everything and nothing. Once again Thor and Odin withdraw and once again, she grieves for her lost youngest son. The difference is that this time she knows for certain he is not at peace.

His actions are beyond redemption and even when she visits his cell in secret he insists he regrets only that he failed. He rails against his brother and father, recalling tiny incidents from childhood and insisting occasions she saw as brotherly bickering were grave and intentional injustices. She alternates between wishing to slap him and hug him, but the magic permits her to do neither: she is a mere bystander in his rants.

The Tesseract once more in their possession means they are but a few short weeks away from being connected to Yggdrasil once more, and the preparations for war begin in earnest. Thor, already physically healed from his fight on Midgard, spends every spare moment training himself and his warriors. Odin himself will not be fighting, much to her relief. He's still strong, but not so strong as he was, and for Thor to lead the battles will show once and for all he is ready to become king.

The last night of peace before the Bifrost is returned to them a great feast is thrown at the palace. It's a tradition that even most of the men, if pressed on the subject, would admit is somewhat foolish, but for some it will be their last night in Asgard before they travel on to Valhalla. The drink flows freely, the music loud, and Frigga passes through the crowds taking the hands of the warriors and wishing them good fortune.

It is to her relief when she spots her son in the company of Lady Sunnfríð, conversing in such a way that does not invite others to interrupt. Sunnfríð lives many miles away, but every five to ten years comes into the city for a gathering or celebration and briefly rekindles some small romance with Thor before returning home. Frigga knows the two have made no promises (and after this many years, clearly have no plans to do so), which in the past has prompted her to give Thor a gentle lecture, but they enjoy each other's company so today she's happy to let them be. Indeed, it doesn't take long before she looks around the room and can no longer see them.

What she does not expect is to run into Sunnfríð again, some half an hour later.

'My Queen, what a pleasure to see you,' she says. 'It's been too long.'

'Oh, I-' Frigga stops herself and regains control. 'Indeed, Lady Sunnfríð, the pleasure is my own. You really must visit the city more often.'

Sunnfríð is no fool and knows she is not Frigga's first choice of companion for Thor, but murmurs politely at the implied invitation.

'You've not seen my son, have you?' says Frigga.

She spots a flash of quickly-masked hurt and embarrassment in Sunnfríð's eyes. 'Not for some time,' she replies. 'I believe he said he was tired and wished to go to retire early.'

That Frigga does not believe. Thor is not a man who sleeps early the night before a battle. She slips away from the revellers and up to her son's rooms.

He's alone and in the darkness, using only the light from the night sky. In fact, he's shifted one of his seats over to the window itself and, despite the book he holds in one hand, is leaning out, back and up to stare up at the stars.

Frigga moves forward, and he jumps, dropping the book and sitting up with haste, embarrassment writ clear across his features.

She picks up the book and joins him on the seat, turning it to inspect the cover. It's a manual for star-gazing. It's so incongruous in her son's hands on the eve of war that her first comments die in her throat. Thor is waiting with bated breath, and in the end she returns the book to him before she speaks.

'Tomorrow will be a big day,' she says, picking the familiar and easy.

He inclines his head. 'We have the advantage of being unexpected,' he says, 'but Alfheim has suffered badly in our absence and our return to the realms will not go unnoticed for long. I only wish I could hurry straight to Vanaheim for Hogun's sake.'

'I know,' says Frigga, 'but the Elves need us more. Are you ready?'

'I hope so,' he says. 'I do worry for the men. In our isolation some are out of practice.'

'And you are not?'

He shrugs. 'The Chitauri were fearsome and yet here I am, although truly the success was due to my new friends. Humans are not as weak as some might believe.'

She does not have to ask who he means by that.

'Did you see her, your mortal?'

The question takes him by surprise, although he must surely have realised it was coming. His breath catches for a second before he shakes his head. 'When Loki attacked he took prisoner Erik Selvig, a friend of Jane Foster's, and corrupted his mind. Their government knew she would be at risk and sent her to safety. I... was forced to return before I could see her.' He looks down at the book in his hands, gently smoothing the cover.

'You've not been able to forget her, then?' asks Frigga gently.

He laughs wryly. 'I tried, Mother, I promise you that,' he says. 'I know there is no chance for us, and I thought if I stopped asking Heimdall or spent more time with my friends then I would be able to move on. And then tonight I once again learned I had failed.'

Frigga does not need to know exactly what had happened with Sunnfríð to give her son a sympathetic smile.

'Will you tell me of her? Of the mortal woman?' she asks.

Thor hesitates.

'I will not repeat anything you say to your father if you'd rather I did not,' she assures him. 'Although I think I will have to tell him you still long for Midgard, if only so he does not find out from his own sources. I simply wish to know a little of the woman who has so captured your heart.'

Thor gives a slightly shy, embarrassed smile before looking once more at the book in his hands and speaking. 'She believed in me, when no one else would,' he says at last. 'I arrived on Midgard disorientated and angry and was injured in the process. She and her friends took me to a place of healing then provided for me. They thought me homeless and unhinged, and at the time both were close enough to truth. But Jane studies the Bifrost – has her own name for the bridge, even – and wished to know what I'd seen in the storm.'

'A scholar?' says Frigga, slightly surprised. Thor has a keen mind, although he sometimes used to forget that as a child when faced with Loki's easy capacity to learn, but he's no scholar. To her knowledge, none of his previous relationships had been with one either.

'A scientist,' says Thor, a tinge of pride in his voice. 'Heimdall says she's been trying to build her own Bifrost since then, to reunite with me.' His face darkens slightly. 'Since my promise to her remains broken and by now she must know of my return to Midgard, she may no longer wish to do so.'

Frigga sighs and reaches over to touch her son's arm gently. 'Perhaps it is better that way,' she says. 'She cannot give you a full life and you cannot give her a marriage or a child or whatever number of things a woman from Midgard might expect.'

'I know, Mother, I know,' he says, scrubbing his face with his hands. 'Please believe me that I understand well that whatever happens with Jane, it will end. But I cannot forget her. For such a short time it was perfect.' He smiles suddenly, face brightening, as he stares off into his own recollection. 'She assisted when I sought to reclaim Mjolnir from her government, risked her own freedom for her work even though she was no warrior. Then she helped me escape incarceration and promised to help me live on Midgard. We spoke of all manner of things for many hours well into the night: her work, my childhood, her father. She was wonderful... her smile, her eyes, her-'

He seems to remember where he is and stops speaking with a mortified look at his mother. Frigga can't help herself, and laughs fondly.

'My dear son,' she says, 'only you could describe an evening involving escaping incarceration at the hands of a foreign government as “perfect”. I begin to want to meet this woman who can make you speak so freely.'

He laughs too, running a hand through his hair, still with a trace of self-consciousness as he acknowledges the humour. He speaks like a boy in first love and it makes Frigga's heart ache for his youth and the apparently happy family she had then. She longs for that simplicity.

Her eldest son should now be allowed his happiness, she decides there and then. He is old enough to make his own decisions, even if he knows that heartbreak is inevitable. She has failed Loki, she will not do the same again for Thor.

The next morning he looks nothing like her little boy, his armour resplendent as he prepares to lead the armies of Asgard into wars across the Nine Realms. He wishes her and Odin farewell, face solemn, promising to honour Asgard and fight for its allies.

'Odin, my dear husband,' she murmurs as the Bifrost begins to shine for the first time in many months and Thor departs with his warriors, 'I do not think you'll like to hear this, but our son remains very much enamoured with the mortal woman, Jane Foster. And I think perhaps we should stop trying to counsel him otherwise.'

She is correct. Her husband does not like to hear it.


	2. Chapter 2

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> (Continued) Massive, massive thanks to [Niobium](http://archiveofourown.org/users/Niobium/) for the beta!

The wars rage on. The battle for Alfheim lasts months, with only smaller groups of their forces on any of the other realms. Thor mostly remains there, but commands the army across all the realms, occasionally diving into one of the other battles and even more occasionally returning to Asgard for stolen moments of peace.

When on Asgard, he spends much of his time at the Bifrost. Odin is not pleased. To Frigga's relief it ceases to become an outright argument, but instead Odin contents himself with mere comments reminding Thor of the unsuitability of mortals and their short lives. She sees them preying on her son's mind and wonders if perhaps that's not worse. Whilst her husband is correct, she finds herself doing all she can to reassure Thor. He has enough to worry over without his fears over the woman he loves.

'I keep thinking I should ask Heimdall to send me to Midgard, just for a few hours,' he admits to her one evening.

'Then why don't you?' she asks.

He looks surprised.

'You're unlikely to forgive yourself for a broken promise until you've had a chance to see her and obtain her forgiveness,' says Frigga gently. 'And you clearly wish for more than that. Even with the wars you could spare an hour or two for happiness.'

Thor glances out the window and to the Bifrost, clearly tempted by the suggestion. It would not be entirely wise, but for an hour or two he could slip away unnoticed.

'In part it is because of the war,' he says at last. 'I'd forgotten the brutality of it all. When we met she and her friends were nearly killed. That is my life but it is not hers, and to bring her into that would endanger her once more.'

'Shouldn't that choice be hers?' says Frigga archly. 'I faced enough of that attitude from your father when we first met and frankly I tired of it two and a half thousand years ago.'

Thor smiles at that, but does not go to Midgard that day. She wonders when he will.

War continues. Frigga grows used to the quiet absence her son and many of the soldiers from the palace. Odin calmly rules Asgard, providing advice to Thor when asked and beginning the preparation of handing over his duties. The day is fast approaching and she wonders if she should change the counsel she offers Thor. A prince in love with a mortal is one thing, but Jane Foster will surely never be allowed to take an apple and be queen.

Then one night Frigga dreams of her own death.

She wakes, cold and sweating, burning pain and the fate of Asgard slipping away from her before she can remember them fully. Beside her, Odin sleeps on, his deep, even breaths reassuring her that the world is steady. What she saw is not happening, not now, but in her heart she knows that it will. She has never thought she has the gift of prophecy – and even those that claim to acknowledge its inaccuracy in a world in flux – but she's lived too long to disregard her own instincts.

The next day she goes to her library, locks the door, and begins to read. She is not yet ready to pass on, but she does not tell Odin or Thor or anyone else of her fears. They have enough to worry about and her strong desire to live feels almost selfish in the face of the war they fight.

~*~

Eventually Alfheim is secured, and there is a celebration on Asgard. The armies move on to Nornheim. Then to Ria and Vanaheim, where the instabilities are smaller and Thor splits the forces much more readily. A battalion are even sent to Jotunheim to help end the civil war caused by Laufey's death.

The peace is beginning to spread, and the mood in Asgard lightens. Already some of the warriors begin to return, filled with tales of honour and bravery and songs for their lost friends. Frigga finds sleep comes more easily the more stories of Thor's courage and skill reach her. Asgard will be in good hands and soon her son will be back with her.

She visits Loki in his cell to give him the good news of the approaching end to the war.

'Oh dear me, there I was, desperately worried for my poor dear brother,' he says, voice dripping with sarcasm. 'And now isn't everything wonderful? He can come back and become king and won't we all be thrilled at that?'

Frigga rolls her eyes. 'Are you finished yet?' she asks him.

He mutters something further until she makes to leave, at which he ceases his complaints and asks after her day with the pained expression of one trying to remember how he should act. She loves Loki as her son, but he seems determined to make even that a challenge.

Peace in Vanaheim is at last declared, and her eldest son and his warriors are returned to her. Odin announces a time of celebration, even though some of their armies remain in the realms to assist maintain the peace. Throughout the announcements, Thor smiles at the appropriate moments and accepts the praise from Odin and cheers from the people, but then he quickly disappears afterwards. She is reliably informed that he does at least show his face at the celebrations before running to the Bifrost. Now the war is over, she wonders if he'll rush back to Midgard, or if he'll try and convince his father first. He must know that with an inevitable coronation approaching, his time to do as he chooses is slipping away from him.

She suspects he might be a bit afraid of his welcome from Jane Foster, for if he weren't he'd surely stop making excuses.

Weary following months of worry for Thor and the others, she takes an early night to her own chambers, leaving Odin to carry the celebrations.

Sleep comes late and uneasy, and she wakes the next morning with a curious sense of foreboding. There's no reason for it, but she feels that something must happen. She dresses and breaks her fast quickly, then goes to find her husband.

He's in his private library, pouring through his books of ancient magic, eyes dark and shoulders hunched.

'The Aether is returned,' he says.

Frigga halts in her steps as the meaning of his words settles over her. 'The weapon of the Dark Elves? Kin to the Tesseract?'

'Yes.'

'Are the Dark Elves-?'

'No, they all perished in my father's war,' says Odin. 'I thought the Aether had too.'

Frigga is none too sure infinity stones can be destroyed that simply, but has long accepted the story because Asgard had held the Tesseract, which surely could have been used to put an end to the Aether.

'Where is it?' she says. 'What will we do with it? We can hardly keep two on Asgard.'

'It has found a host,' says Odin carelessly.

Frigga feels a cold trickle of dread begin to seep through her. 'None could survive that,' she says. Even Thor or Odin himself would eventually fall to the power unless the stone could be removed in time.

'She lives so far,' replies Odin. 'For how long I cannot say. It would be preferable if she were not to die, if only so it does not seek out a new host amongst those near to her.'

There is something he is not saying, she can tell.

'Odin,' she says warningly, 'I am in no mood for this. What is it?'

'The host is Jane Foster of Midgard.'

'Oh no, oh _Thor_.' The news is akin to being hit in the stomach. She knows how deeply her son will be affected when Jane Foster succumbs to the inevitable and, as Odin hints, if he won't be parted from her, he might unwittingly himself take on the Aether. 'Where is-?'

'I do not know,' says Odin dismissively, turning back to his books. 'His chambers, perhaps. There may yet be something I can find to contain it, but I cannot see a way to remove it from her.'

Frigga leaves him with his books. Long years of marriage tell her that he is not as indifferent as he sounds, even if he cares nothing for Jane Foster herself. His concern would be for Thor and Thor alone, and in part that is what has always fuelled his objection to Jane.

Mindful of Odin's suggestion that the two might be in Thor's rooms, Frigga first visits Loki. She needs to be certain he's not up to anything, for if he heard a rumour of another infinity stone on Asgard, it would be a perfect time for him to strike, not least with Thor and Odin distracted and half their armies still abroad. Jane Foster would surely make an attractive hostage for him, were he to get that far.

Loki seems oblivious to these developments, although she supposes these days she cannot be certain of anything. He is well enough, cares naught for the end of the war (or so he says), and complains bitterly about his lot in life. Frigga is as patient as she can be, but she leaves more quickly than she might in her concern over the Aether.

Thor and Jane Foster are not in his rooms.

Indeed, Thor's staff seem to have no idea where they might be. Frigga, having a very good idea of both the places her son goes to avoid the palace and his father, and the places her son takes his woman-friends, does not find it too hard to track him down.

They're walking by the edge of a the lake, outside of the palace. The area is quiet and exclusive enough that none here blink at the presence of the prince, nor interrupt him in his path. It's also beautiful, with the sun shining and the lake pristine.

Her first thought is that Jane Foster is tiny.

It's a strange, silly, inconsequential thing to notice after all this time wondering, but the way Thor is leaned over and hunched down and even then towering above her as he gazes devotedly at her is impossible to miss. Jane gazes back, her hand in his as he speaks. The beauty of Asgard clearly holds no interest to her compared to Thor himself, and Frigga is relieved. It would have broken his heart to find her indifferent and then be forced to try and rescue her from her fate.

When they kiss – so very gentle and tentative on Thor's part – Frigga averts her glance. It's only when she hears a murmur of their speech again that she turns back to see them continuing to stare at each other. They speak too quietly for her to hear and are very much in their own world, allowing her to approach unnoticed.

Thor's comment on his father seems like as good a time as any to interrupt and she smiles as she does so. Thor smiles too, although his is directed almost entirely at Jane as he introduces her. Jane's eyes widen, and she's clearly unsure what's expected of her as she steps back and nods. Every inch of Thor exudes adoration.

Up close, Frigga takes her in. She's beautiful, although Frigga can't be surprised at that, with delicate features and large eyes with a slightly nervous look in them. Frigga would place her at Thor's age, or perhaps a fraction older, but she can't even begin to guess what that means in Midgardian years.

To her amusement, Thor seems to be still too busy smiling at Jane to say anything more than the introduction. Even with the fear he must surely be hiding, she doesn't think she's seen this smile on him since before his banishment.

'Welcome to Asgard,' she says to Jane. 'I am only sorry that the circumstances are more complicated than might be desired.'

'Oh, um, thank you!' says Jane. She seems to let out a breath, smiling at last. 'It's nice to meet you. And it's so lovely here.' She looks out to the lake behind her, to Thor, and then back to Frigga, still smiling.

The three of them start walking again, and Frigga sees her son shooting a small, concerned glance at Jane as they do. He catches her gaze with a sad smile. He, then, has no plan either.

'You have spoken to Father?' he asks her.

Frigga sees Jane tense slightly and wonders if she wants to know what her husband has said. 'Yes, he explained the situation,' she says. 'He is at his books, although with no answers. I fear, too, that if Loki catches wind of what's happening he may try to escape. The Aether is a powerful weapon in the hands of anyone, or even just a powerful distraction to an existing escape plan.'

Visibly alarmed, Thor moves closer to Jane.

'Do you know how long I've got?' says Jane, raising her head to Frigga. Thor flinches at her directness. 'Nobody seems to be able to tell me.' Her eyes are frightened but her lips are pressed together and she holds Frigga's gaze.

'I don't think anyone can guess,' Frigga says slowly. 'I know a little of the power of the Aether, but it has not been active for some five thousand years. If you'd asked me yesterday I would have told you that a mortal could not even touch it, but evidently that is wrong.' She pauses, but something in Jane's determined gaze makes her to continue. 'Unless we can remove it from you, you will have days, not weeks.'

Jane swallows and nods stiffly.

Thor has clenched his fists, which Jane sees and reaches out to take his arm.

'We'll figure something out,' she says softly. 'But if- if we can't, I need to go back to Earth. I need to see my Mom and Darcy and Erik before... _before_.'

'It will not come to that, I promise you,' says Thor. 'I will save you, Jane.'

'You better,' she says with a worried smile.

To Frigga's relief, Thor smiles too. She thinks to slip away quietly – to go to her own books like Odin is at his and search for a solution, and also to give her son and Jane some privacy. She can well believe he will do anything in his power to help Jane, but she worries that will not be enough. Thor's strengths are many, but ancient magical knowledge is not one of them.

Before she can excuse herself, she hears the alarm from the dungeons.

'Loki!'

'Go, I will look after her.'

They watch as Thor rushes away and then dives into flight, Jane holding her breath until Mjolnir is safely in his hands.

'Come,' says Frigga. 'We should hurry too.'

'What? Back there? Isn't that where it's all happening?'

Frigga's none too used to having her orders questioned by those outside her direct family, but finds herself amused all the same.

'Please trust me, Jane,' she assures her. 'The palace is the safest place, even if Loki is escaping. There are shields, wards from magic and more guards there than here.'

'Right, yeah, sorry, I just... don't want to meet him,' says Jane.

That, Frigga has to concede, is more than fair. 'I wish my family would welcome you the way you and your friends welcomed my son,' she says, hoping Jane realises she means more than just Loki.

Jane smiles and scratches the back of her head, a little embarrassed. 'Well, you know,' she says, 'it was easy with Thor. He's pretty hard not to like.'

Frigga is able to commandeer one of the skiffs to speed their journey back to the palace. Once there, she finds the guards frantically arming themselves as Odin commands his forces, trying to assure her all is well. This, she begins to realise, is not the work of Loki. This is some other attack. She looks down at Jane Foster, who's staring around her, afraid but curious too. Frigga does not think it likely that this attack is unconnected and she orders Jane to follow her in a tone that brooks no argument.

In her rooms she begins to prepare her magic.

The barrage from the air is one thing – although how Heimdall did not see this will be a discussion for later – but when the palace shields fail she stops her preparations and stares, feeling the blood drain from her cheeks. She has never seen this before.

They are inside her _home_.

'What is it?' asks Jane.

'I'm afraid we're in very much more trouble than I realised,' says Frigga softly. 'I... begin to wonder if this attack might be the Dark Elves themselves.'

'Didn't Odin say...?'

'As my son has correctly suggested, Odin does not know everything. His father, Bor, defeated them and swore they were dead. To question that would be unthinkable. Now we must deal with the consequences.'

Jane sucks in a breath. 'OK,' she says at last. 'What do you need me to do?'

Frigga smiles and takes Jane by the hands. 'You have courage,' she says. 'I think I see why he is so fond of you.' Jane turns slightly pink at the cheeks. 'I will hide you magically,' continues Frigga. 'If it is the Dark Elves, they will find us here but their numbers will be small. I will defend you as best I can but if that fails-'

'Don't say that!'

'-if that fails, then you will be as safe as I can make you. We may only need to buy a short amount of time before Thor or Odin and his guards return to us and overwhelm our enemies. Until then, you must do everything in your power to stay away from them. Even if my life is threatened, you must stay hidden, do you understand?'

'But I can't just-'

'This is not for you, nor for Thor,' says Frigga sternly, dropping Jane's hands to take her shoulders and watching her reaction carefully as she speaks. 'For the lives of either or both of you alone I would fight, but this is for all Nine Realms and neither of us can let fear change our course. You must not allow the Aether into the hands of the Elves if there is anything you can do. Let me hide you, and no matter what you might see or hear, do not fight the magic or return here.'

Jane swallows and nods slowly. 'OK,' she says.

'Promise me,' urges Frigga.

'I promise.'

'Thank you.'

'Jesus, how come there are no guards here at all?' demands Jane, sounding angry and frightened as she stares around her.

Frigga takes her hand again and squeezes lightly. 'We have just come back from a war,' she says. 'Many of our soldiers are still spread out defending the other realms.' She smiles sadly. 'It is a Queen's duty to defend her home and her realm and that is what we will do. They will not take the Aether.'

The magic to hide Jane is not complex, even with her worries and the sounds of the battle outside. She explains as best she can to Jane how it will feel, and what she needs her to do. Jane listens carefully, focussed on Frigga's words, twisting her hands together but nodding and repeating the directions she's given.

There's a certain other magic that _is_ complex. Frigga doesn't think it's ready – doesn't think _she's_ ready – but if today is that day then what choice does she have?

Is today the day she dies, or isn't it?

After her dream all those months ago she'd spent long hours pouring over obscure and ancient texts looking for something that might save her from an uncertain fate. It's hard to find protection against that which she does not know, especially not when her kingdom always comes first.

Now, though, she waits to be attacked. The work is not ready, but if today is the day she dies then it would be a shame not at least to try. Even if she had never imagined her one lifeline might be a mortal woman on the verge of death herself.

Not just a mortal woman, though – a scholar and a scientist, and one protected by Thor. Perhaps there is still some hope.

'Jane, will you do something for me?'

'Um, sure? Something to do with the Dark Elves?'

Frigga shakes her head. 'Something else,' she says.

From her dressing room she fetches a ribbon and three beaded gems, which she strings onto it. They should hold some magic in them for at least a year, although after that she does not know. To the first she gives the Alltongue, the second the way into her library, and the third she makes a bright light to help lead her home.

'Take this,' she says. 'Hide it, look after it. Not so well as you hide yourself – this task I ask of you is far less important than protecting yourself and the Aether from the Dark Elves.'

Jane inspects the gems, then hides them in the bodice of her dress.

Outside the room, Frigga thinks she hears a noise and she pushes Jane into place to begin the magic to conceal her. 'In six months' time – no sooner or the power will not have time to settle – come back here and go to my library. Those gems will let you in and let you read my work and I hope then you'll understand what I am asking. Do not tell Thor or Odin unless it becomes unavoidable. I would not wish to get their hopes up: I have not had time to prepare and there is a strong chance this will not work. Can you do that?'

'Wait, why can't you do that instead?' asks Jane.

'Jane, please.' Frigga tries to smile through the fear she now feels.

'Of course I will, if you want me to,' says Jane.

'Thank you,' she says, giving Jane's hand one last squeeze before she begins to enact the magic. 'Remember to keep the Aether safe above all else. That is your duty first and foremost. And please do love my son, if you can. He deserves some happiness.'

It's in the nick of time that she finishes, and as the Dark Elf enters her room, the illusory Jane rises to her feet and backs away. The Elf is alone and Frigga is surprised at how easily he loses the fight – was her dream merely frightened nightmare of a woman worrying for her sons?

Then the second creature arrives and rips her away from her prey.

This had been what Frigga had worried for: Jane can see what's happening, see that she's losing, and must surely want to run forward to help. To her relief, Jane keeps her promise and the illusion continue to play her part. It's too much to hope that it might last long enough and, cornered, the magic disintegrates under Malekith's hands.

He screams insults the way men who lose always do.

Frigga smiles even as the sword burns though her, feeling her magic course through her.

Then she feels nothing.


	3. Chapter 3

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> (Continued) Massive, massive thanks to [Niobium](http://archiveofourown.org/users/Niobium/) for the beta!

There is no concept of time where she goes.

It is an empty place.

No time

or space

or sound

or colour

or memory

or consciousness.

She simply continues.

~*~

The magic envelops her.

It's a sensation, the first one of an eternity. It's familiar and right and her own.

Except for that one tiny chord that's a solid stream of something new.

That is what hooks onto her. And there – there's her light at the end of it. Not quite hers but still the key to the lock she's forgotten exists.

She follows the melody that calls to her.

The second sensation is the hard floor, and the fact that she suddenly has a body and a mind and that neither enjoys being on that floor. The third is the coldness of the room – there's a draught running over her. The fourth is the dim light when she opens her eyes.

The fifth is a voice.

'Oh shit, oh my god, holy shit, is that- I don't- did this _work_? Oh my god.'

The voice sounds very familiar and not even a little bit Asgardian. Frigga laughs, and that is yet another sensation that she has half forgotten how to have, so she keeps laughing, warm and joyful that after everything that happened, it has _worked_.

She is _alive_.

Looking up at last, she sees Jane Foster staring down at her, offering her a blanket and looking worried. She realises she's unclothed and, while that's the least of her concerns, it is cold. She accepts the blanket, wraps it around herself and struggles to sit.

'Are you... OK?' asks Jane. 'Like, is this real?'

'Very much so,' says Frigga. 'I did not truly believe this would work until this moment, however.'

She takes in the room properly now. They're in her private library and from the light outside the windows she can see it's near sunrise. Jane is working by moonlight and the glow of her machines and equipment. It's the equipment that Frigga was not expecting. It's primitive beyond her imaginings: wires and strange moving parts and magnets and electricity. By rights it should barely function, let alone have pulled her out of whatever strange no-place she'd created when she died.

If she'd given Odin the key, he'd have worked through the ancient texts until he found the solution. Loki would have connected with her magic somehow and slipped her through. Thor, she doesn't doubt, would have found his own way and probably blown a hole in half the palace in the progress.

Jane Foster has brought a computer from Midgard and strung up magnets across Frigga's library and somehow pulled her free.

Jane reaches over to help Frigga to her feet. When her legs wobble under her, Jane instead gently pushes her into one of the nearby chairs beside the empty fireplace.

'How did you...?' Frigga gestures vaguely about her.

'Oh, this stuff's mostly from the work I did trying to replicate the Bifrost,' explains Jane. 'When I read your work I realised you'd been using magic to create some sort of extra dimension. Then I figured out this thing-' here she points at the gem Frigga had presented her with, which is now hooked into her equipment, 'was a homing beacon. It seemed like the best thing to do was to make it easier for you to hunt for it, so I grabbed everything I had on the Bifrost and the Tesseract. An instantaneous connection between two points is pretty much by definition some sort of wormhole, it's just figuring out how to make that connection, especially when I didn't know where you'd gone and it wasn't the same as the Bifrost. But I thought maybe your homing beacon could work both ways – if you can find it, it can find you, so as well as amplifying the effect of that I started to search for any areas of entanglement with the right frequency.'

Frigga takes a deep breath and shuts her eyes. Jane's explanation is clearly a simplification, but she does not think of her magic in those terms and she's not thought of anything in some time. The words make her realise she should have waited to ask until after both rest and food.

'That easy, was it?' she says dryly.

Jane doesn't seem to notice her tone. 'The hardest part was figuring out the way your magic and my work might fit together,' she says earnestly. 'Thor always talks of magic and science like they're the same – just differently advanced – so I had to believe there was a way. But my equipment didn't seem to be registering half of what I needed so I had to build some new detectors for this kind of magical energy. And then I noticed the m-frequency wasn't what I expected and I had to recalibrate your homing beacon to match.'

As the last sentence penetrates the fog in her mind, Frigga opens her eyes to stare at Jane. 'Recalibrate? The gem did not work?'

'Well... yes and no,' says Jane, apparently oblivious to Frigga's sudden disquiet. 'It seemed to work fine until I introduced the effect of the tunnelling p-q particles, but they affected the vibrations within the gem. I tried to find a different method but in doing that I lost the vortex build-up and everything went silent. So in the end I took a risk and recalibrated the gem and, well, here you are.' She gives a slightly guilty smile. 'I hope it didn't hurt you or anything.'

'No, not at all,' says Frigga, laughing again but rather more shakily. 'I understand nothing that you have said and we will discuss it at great length later, but for now I thank you for your efforts.' She shivers as she thinks of how she might still have been stuck in that limbo but for Jane.

'But how is this even possible?' demands Jane. 'I saw your body. I was at your funeral! How can you be here and alive?'

'My mind was saved by my magic, my body rebuilt with your help,' she says. Jane opens her mouth to ask another question but Frigga holds up her hand. 'Please, enough, I will answer your questions later but now I am tired and would see my family. Do Thor and Odin still know nothing?'

'Er, kind of,' said Jane. 'Odin doesn't pay attention to me while I'm here as long as I avoid him. Thor realised I'm working on something and I told him it was something you'd told me to look into before you died.' She shrugs. 'I... he knows there's something I'm not telling him and it's bugging him. And me. But I really just didn't want to get his hopes up though. If I'd told him and then failed...' She trails off and shakes her head. 'I couldn't do that.'

Frigga tenses and relaxes her leg muscles. They still feel new and unfamiliar, but she slowly gets to her feet.

'I should like to wash and dress,' she says, 'and then to see my family.'

Jane assists her into her dressing room and then, as there are no staff still lingering in her stale-smelling rooms, helps her wash and into her clothes.

'How long has it been?' she asks as Jane begins to fasten her dress, fingers stumbling slightly.

'Eight months,' says Jane. 'It took a month for Odin to let me visit. If he'd held out for any longer I'd've told him it was for you. I think that bit might've been harder than the physics.' She smiles tentatively and Frigga laughs, but then returns to business.

'The Aether? The Dark Elves?'

'Safe, and dead respectively,' says Jane. She hesitates, stopping her work, swallowing and glancing down at her hands. 'Thor freed Loki from the dungeons to get him to help us. In the fight... I'm sorry but... he died. He saved me and Thor, so he was a hero in the end. I'm sorry.'

Frigga feels her heart clench with the familiar wash of grief rushing over her. How many times must she lose her son? For him to die a hero is not much consolation to his loss all over again. Jane tentatively takes her arm and eases her into a seat again and she smiles gently as she thinks of her lost little boy.

'My husband still reigns?' she asks as quickly as she can, wishing to move on. She cannot dwell on this now, not with Odin and Thor still unknowing.

Jane nods. 'Thor... Thor's been living on Earth with me,' she says.

Frigga stares.

Jane shrugs apologetically. 'He turned down the throne. Sorry.'

'Forgive me, Jane, I am not surprised that he would wish to do so,' Frigga says. 'My surprise is that his father would allow him.'

'Well, you know, the thing with the Aether... he sorta saved, like, all the realms. I think his dad was just giving him a bit of shore leave.'

It's not impossible, Frigga supposes. No doubt both her husband and son wished to avoid each other in their grief. Great warriors rarely speak of such matters to each other, after all. She wishes that she had not had to put them through this, especially not with Loki also perishing at the hands of the Dark Elves.

Finally, none too soon, she and Jane walk from her chambers and towards Odin's. She still feels weakened, unsteady on her own feet as her mind remembers how to have a body and indeed a mind. Jane offers her arm and Frigga leans heavily on her and worries she might fall, but she is strong enough for this. The journey is slow and, at this time in the morning, the palace is near empty. As they walk, Jane explains in more detail the events of eight months before: of Odin's grief, Thor's treason and Loki's sacrifice. She's more coy about her life on Earth, but she admits with smile that she and Thor keep rooms near the university where she is employed, and that they travel much for her work. Thor, evidently, has been enjoying seeing the sights of Midgard and living as what Jane calls a 'superhero'.

One of the guard's outside of Odin's chambers drops his sword on sight of her. The other backs away, pale at the face. Frigga feels both apologetic and extremely satisfied at her work.

'Is my husband within?'

They stare at her, then at each other. Eventually, one nods.

'Please fetch Thor and ask him to come here,' she says.

One of the guards opens and shuts his mouth a number of times. The other makes a strangled noise in the back of his throat and gestures vaguely at the door with one hand.

Frigga stares at him.

'Wait, is Thor already in there?' guesses Jane.

The guards nod.

'He's been spending time with Odin doing a bit of king stuff while I work,' she explains to Frigga. 'I think they both know he's still got to be king eventually.'

'Very well,' says Frigga. 'That saves us time.'

The guards let her and Jane pass, still staring mutely. Jane giggles a little and even Frigga finds herself smiling.

Odin and Thor are in Odin's study, bickering amiably over some diagrams of troop movements. Frigga stops just inside the doorway and looks at them both, smiling warmly. Time has not existed for her in her death - it’s been somehow both less than a day and an eternity since she’s last seen them both and she feels the loss most strongly. She has missed her family very dearly.

Except... there is something wrong with the picture before her eyes.

There's a hidden magic here, somewhere. She tries to find where it begins and it's as subtle and familiar as her own.

Thor looks up, catches sight of her, and drops Mjolnir. Odin follows his gaze and stares, frozen in place like the guards outside.

' _Mother_ ,' breathes Thor.

'Impossible,' snaps Odin gruffly, still unmoving.

'Jane?' manages Thor at last, voice strangled.

'You know that science I said I was doing because your mom told me about it before she died?' says Jane, fidgeting. 'It was kinda sorta... this.' She coughs. 'Do you want to explain?' she asks Frigga.

'I prepared for my own death,' Frigga tells them. 'Before the Aether, when the war was still ongoing, I dreamt that I would soon die. I saw no reason to accept that fate, so I found a spell that would transport a version of me to... elsewhere, and I left Jane the key to unlocking it.' She smiles down at Jane. 'Without her work, I fear I would have been trapped there forever.'

Thor staggers suddenly forward and snatches her into a tight embrace. Frigga gasps as the air is pushed out of her, and then laughs, wrapping her arms about her son. Moments later, Thor drops her to give Jane the same treatment, this time picking her off her feet and kissing her as he does. Then he deposits Jane back on the floor and hugs Frigga again with his own delighted laugh. He's strong and warm and she can feel his arms shake very slightly. In that moment, he's so much her little boy and she clings to him in return.

He pulls back and stares at her. 'Mother, I- you- you both- _Jane_ -' Giving up, he shakes his head uselessly, still all smiles. Jane beams back at him, and Frigga sees her take his hand even as he continues to stare between them both.

Odin – or rather, for she can see it now, the man playing Odin – is less instantly trustful.

'This cannot be true,' he says. She feels a stab of pain at his voice – so familiar, but he is not her husband. All the same, he clearly wants to believe it is her, and she smiles kindly at him despite what he has done. He might not be Odin, but he is still her family and she can't help but be relieved that yet more of her grief is in vain, even as anger and fear for Odin runs through her.

'You should know by now not to underestimate my magic, husband,' she tells him carefully.

If he realises she knows who he is, he gives no sign. In fact, he abandons all pretence of anything as he too stumbles forward to take her in his arms. She wonders, if he weren't so shocked, would he try and keep up the act? She knows, if he weren't so shocked, that she would not succeed with what she does now, which is reach into his magic and snatch the carefully hidden dagger he always carries.

He realises what she's done when her hand is already on the hilt and he staggers backwards. Pointing the dagger at him, she braces herself to fight if need be. Her son he might be, but if he has harmed her husband then she will rain all hell down on him.

'Frigga?' he says tentatively. Beside her she feels Thor tense, and supposes that to him she must now look like she's lost her mind.

'Loki, where is my husband?' she says, voice like a whip but hand not so steady as she'd hoped. She wishes to sound strong but it's hard when she does not even know if Odin lives.

They stare each other down in silence. She knows she will win in the end: Loki will not be able to keep this up forever, and even if he does persuade Thor now, the seeds of doubt will have been sewn.

Loki sees this too. He raises his hands in surrender and laughs, his disguise dissolving around him. He looks well, especially for someone who has been constantly working magic.

' _What_?' gasps Thor. He pushes Jane behind him as Mjolnir flies into his hand.

Loki grins. 'Did you miss me, Brother?' he says.

'Loki,' says Frigga warningly.

He turns to her and for a moment his smile looks genuine. 'Of all reasons for me to fail, this is the one I take most heart in,' he says. She sighs and wishes again for the boy he once was.

'Where is Father?' demands Thor.

Loki shrugs. 'Alive, when last I saw him,' he says. Frigga feels a rush of relief. She doesn't truly believe that Loki would kill his father, but he's proved her wrong so many times. For all that Odin may have done, she is not sure she could forgive Loki if he'd killed him. 'Don't be angry, Brother, I did you and Odin both a favour. He was ready to step down and you did not wish to be king, after all. All you wanted was a father who would leave you to your dalliance on Midgard and somehow still be _proud_ of you.'

Thor pales. 'All this time?'

'Indeed,' replies Loki, still grinning at his win. Then his face abruptly darkens. 'And what a job I've done of it. The realms are at peace, food is plentiful, even the people are happy. You – you refused this position and Odin near destroyed Asgard in his insanity and you fear _me_ as your king!' His face twists into a snarl. 'All my life I've been told _you_ are the only worthy king and yet in my death you claimed I understood rule. Now, though, oh, now you'll take it from me for sheer spite alone!'

He snatches the sceptre Gungnir from the table beside him, eyes instantly fixing on a white-faced Jane – the easiest target. Frigga sees Thor push Jane further back, readying himself to do battle.

Without hesitation, she steps in between her sons, a stolen dagger and her own body all she has to block their powerful weapons.

'Enough!' she shouts. Thor freezes and she sees Loki's hand twitch before he does the same. 'Loki if you wish to fight your way out of here then by all means do so, but you will face me first.'

Loki stares at her. 'Even you, Mother,' he says at last, eyes narrow. 'You profess to love me and yet here you are, yet again, choosing your precious _Thor_!'

'I am choosing a future where none of us dies,' snaps Frigga. 'You think I would hesitate to stand in front of you if I thought Thor or Odin would attack you unjustly? You think I would hesitate to lay down my life for yours?'

'He stands poised to attack me right now!' insists Loki, gesturing over her shoulder to Thor.

'Lower your weapon and I will lower mine,' demands Thor.

'Thor,' says Frigga warningly. The sentiment is a worthy one but she does not think it will help so expressed by Thor. She looks over at Loki, who still points Gungnir at her. 'Do you plan to fight me, then?' she asks.

'Do you think you'll win?' he hisses.

'Oh no,' she says. 'I am old and tired and barely armed, even if I did teach you all you know. I expect to die. Will you kill me? For that's what you'll have to do before I let you battle your brother.'

Loki stares at her, she sees the sceptre twitch and wonders if she's misjudged his heart so completely. But he does not attack.

'You'll come back,' he says. 'You've just come back now.'

She raises an eyebrow. 'So do it,' she says. She's won, but she's not sure he knows it yet. 'If you think my magic strong enough that I can perform the same feat again after so short a recovery time then strike me down. And if you do then you'd best be prepared to protect Jane Foster in your fight with your brother, for without her there's no chance for me.'

He's silent, unmoving.

'Loki, surrender, please,' she entreats at last. 'That way we all live. If you don't then at least two of us here will die.'

There is another silent stand-off before he raises the sceptre.

'Very well, Mother,' he says. 'You win this time. I will not fight you.' He offers Gungnir to her.

Frigga accepts it and turns to pass it away, breathing out with silent relief as she does. Thor wants no part of the king's weapon and it ends up in Jane's hands, where she leans out from behind Thor, watching all with wide eyes.

Now that Loki is unarmed the danger seems to be passed but Frigga finds her hands still shake, and she attaches the dagger to her belt. As she does so, she moves out from between her sons. Thor will not start a fight with no cause, as much as he might wish to, but if Loki tries anything else far better that Thor is ready and able to attack. She's not at all sure she would be able to, for all she managed to convince Loki.

'So what now?' asks Loki. 'Good boys don't fight, do they, Mother?'

'Now you return to your cell,' growls Thor.

'And you'll be king of Asgard then? Just as you've always dreamed.'

'I will do my duty. Guards!'

The two guards from outside rush in and, to their credit, manage not to drop their weapons this time.

Loki raises his hands again in submission. 'Just one minute more,' he says.

He turns to Jane, who is gingerly holding Gungnir with both hands. Under his attention, her eyes widen further and she glances at Thor, still standing half blocking Loki from her. Frigga sees Thor's hand twitch, more than ready with his hammer.

'Jane Foster, for my mother's life, I owe you a debt,' Loki says.

'Um, what?' says Jane. 'I don't want- _what_?'

'How about you not try to kill her or her people?' suggests Thor through gritted teeth, still ready to strike with Mjolnir.

Loki smiles once more, thin and unfriendly. 'I said _a_ debt, not seven billion,' he says. 'Besides, if I'm back to the dungeons then what's the use of that?' He pauses and glances back to Jane. 'All that talent, though, from a mortal woman. I would not have thought it possible. You know, Brother, I knew I liked her from the start. What a woman you've picked this time.' His gaze on Jane lingers and becomes disrespectful, half an eye still watching Thor for his reaction. 'We could have been such great friends,' he tells Jane.

Frigga sees Thor begin to move and is about to grab his arm to stop the fight when Jane lunges forward with the sceptre.

Loki yelps in shock and jumps back as she catches him with the pointed tip. He was clearly not expecting that, and neither was Frigga. Thor dives in between them both before Jane hits him again.

'Jane!' says Thor. He too looks surprised, but extremely approving, and Frigga has to stop herself from smiling.

'Speak to me like that again and I'll break your nose,' says Jane to Loki, eyes narrowed in fury. 'I don't want your damn debt and I'm sure as hell not going to be your _friend_.'

Thor continues to smile at her, clearly still besotted, although does not yet step out from between them. He seems more worried about Loki retaliating, and makes no move to stop Jane from waving Gungnir threateningly despite keeping his arm in front of her. Frigga nearly laughs, wondering if Thor appreciates the irony of being the one trying to prevent someone else from diving into a fight without thinking.

'And believe me I do not wish to be indebted to you,' says Loki waspishly. He's inspecting a cut in the fabric of his clothes with some irritation. His finger comes away with a drop of blood. 'Nevertheless, here we are. I have _some_ honour left and I value my mother's life.'

In the silence that follows, Thor carefully relaxes his guard. Jane does not attack Loki again but looks very ready to, still pointing the sceptre in his direction. Loki looks at Frigga, raising an eyebrow as if to somehow suggest this is all very unfair for him to be forced to deal with. She simply shrugs, and makes no move to take Gungnir from Jane. Jane will not be able to seriously hurt him by using magic, and if she manages to hit him again it will be well deserved. At least Loki is no longer being deliberately lecherous.

'Are you finished, brother?' demands Thor. 'You've said your piece to Jane. Another word to her and I'll kill you myself. Now you'll go to the dungeons and you may consider yourself lucky.'

'I'm in no hurry.'

'But I am. Guards-!'

'Just a few seconds more,' says Loki urgently, turning back to Frigga. 'Mother, before I return to my cell...' He takes her hands and in his eyes there's a genuine sorrow. He knows as well as she that even if she visits him in the dungeons it is not the same. She sighs irritably and embraces him again. Despite it all, she is glad he lives. She's grieved his loss too many times and in too many different circumstances to not be relieved, although even now she finds herself wondering what he plans and whether this is the last time.

Then his magic shifts in the air and she jumps backwards with a shout, snatching the holstered dagger.

'Thor!' she shouts. She should have known he would try this...

The Loki standing before her dissolves in front of their eyes, smirking even as Mjolnir flies through its insubstantial chest.

Thor curses and orders an Asgard-wide search for his brother; guards on all the secret pathways that they know of; and the Bifrost closed. Frigga sighs again, feeling as though this will somehow not be enough. They can keep him out of the palace with magical protections at least, but they cannot spread those throughout all of Asgard or even the Nine Realms once he finds a new pathway out. Loki is once again free to make his own way, and last time Midgard paid dearly for that.

The guards rush off and she hears them shouting to rouse others as they do. At last, the three of them are left alone.

'Well... shit,' says Jane.

'Indeed,' says Thor. He takes her hand. 'Are you all right?'

'He was just being a jackass,' says Jane. 'You should've let me hit him again.'

'Not a chance,' says Thor. 'Much as it was richly deserved and I dearly longed to let you, it was not the time to fight.' He glances down at Gungnir still in her hands and he himself sighs, suddenly looking centuries older.

Frigga moves closer to take his other arm comfortingly. 'You will be a fine king,' she tells him. 'I am only sorry this falls to you now, when you wish for a different life. After what has just happened, however, our people will need a strong king and one, I think, who holds a weapon which cannot be fooled by tricks and illusions.'

'I know,' he says, eyes still cast downwards towards the sceptre. 'I will do my duty to the realm, as I always knew I would have to.'

'I will be here for you as, I am sure, will Jane.'

Jane nods. 'Sure,' she says. 'If- if you want me around.'

Thor looks up to smile at his mother, then turns to Jane, a sudden nervous hesitation on his face.

'Jane, I know this is asking much of you, but would you consider... you are under no obligation to accept, but I will not be able to return to Midgard for longer than a short visit while I am king, so I thought perhaps you might...'

'Are you asking me to move in with you?' says Jane, putting him out of his misery with a teasing smile which he returns. 'Like, live in this massive palace? I bet we don't have to come up with a chore-rota here, do we?'

'Alas no,' says Thor. 'Someone else will do the cooking and washing up so that I do not have to. And I do not think either of us will miss vacuuming.'

Frigga stares at her son. What _has_ his life been like on Midgard?

'Well then I'm definitely moving in,' says Jane. Thor beams at her, seeming to suddenly lose those extra centuries. 'Of course I will.' She nudges his arm fondly. 'Did you think I'd rather go back to Earth and never see you? Although you're gonna have to promise me I can use the Bifrost when I need it, even if all I want to do is go pick up some doughnuts. I mean, I might be a mostly-long-distance researcher, but I have to remind Culver I exist occasionally, you know.'

His smile becomes sad, worried even. 'I cannot even promise you that,' he says. 'I would as much as I can, but if the realm is in danger then the Bifrost must be closed. Even now I cannot allow it to be opened until we've done all we can to locate Loki or else he may sneak through. If- if you would rather remain on Midgard then I would understand and I will help you leave as soon as you can.'

Jane looks up at him but, to Frigga's relief, shakes her head.

'Oh, fine,' she says. 'Mr Responsible King. We'll sort something out. And we'll have emergency the-Bifrost-is-closing signs when I'm on Earth so I can text Darcy and my mom and then get back here, or the other way around if I need to get to Earth. Plus I need to get that pan-Yggdrasil email system I've been working on with Stark up and running and this is a great chance to do some proper tests.'

'Jane-' he says softly, almost as if he cannot believe she is real.

Jane continues speaking apparently without noticing the interruption, clearly lost in her plans. 'You're definitely going to have to open it again pretty soon though,' she says. 'Firstly I need to tell Erik and someone'll have to explain to the Avengers what's just gone down and that Loki is not as dead as they thought. Bruce is gonna have to dig out his stretchy pants. Secondly, I need one of the models and some of the data I was working on before we came here. If Loki took your dad to one of the other realms he probably used one of his secret paths, so I think if Asgard can give me access to their ongoing magical field data from eight months ago – and I'm pretty sure you collect what I need, it just might need some reworking because your magic is just not very well quantified, if I'm honest, you could really use... _Anyway_ , once I've got that sorted I should be able to reverse engineer some co-ordinates. Oh, and thirdly, if I'm living here long term I need at least one pair of jeans and a coffee machine.'

Thor and Frigga stare at her.

'What?' she says. 'I don't work well without caffeine.'

'You think you can find Odin?' says Frigga, disbelieving but unable to prevent the sudden hope that floods her. She knows they'll search, but without Loki she's been wondering what their chances are. And here's Jane already with a plan.

'I think I can find where he was taken,' says Jane, chewing on one fingertip with a slight frown. 'Assuming he's left Asgard anyway. What happens after that is up to you. But I've been tracking the Bifrost for literally years of my life. Compared to using magic to reach into some weird parallel dimension and find you, this is pretty much just another day at the office. Although if he calls me a goat again after all this I won't be pleased. Oh, and I'll probably be able to tell you where Loki goes if he leaves Asgard too.'

Frigga blinks, then looks at Thor, wanting the reassurance of his faith in Jane. She gets it, although Thor himself does not look away from Jane as he smiles at her.

'I would not believe it possible from anyone but you,' he says, voice warm. He raises her free hand to his to kiss it, which Frigga suspects is very much in deference to her presence.

Jane smiles in that slightly flustered, embarrassed way of hers, tucking her hair behind her ears. Then, seeming to only just remember what she still holds in her other hand, apologetically offers him the king's sceptre.

Thor accepts it slowly, studying it and shifting it in his hand, feeling the weight. It is not a weapon he will use, Frigga thinks, but it is a symbol that he must occasionally wield if he is to be king. He pulls a strange grimace at Jane – not happy, but it lightens Frigga's heart to see there is humour in his eyes.

Jane giggles. 'King Thor,' she says.

'Do not dare,' he says with a laugh. Then he places the sceptre against the wall before offering his arms for them both to take. 'Come,' he says. 'There is much I must do – much we all must do. Although I cannot even guess if it is appropriate to call for a celebration or not, in light of all that has happened today.' He exchanges a sad smile with Frigga.

'Just get enough mead in everyone and no one'll worry either way,' says Jane pragmatically.

That, Frigga thinks, is probably all too accurate.

They depart as one for the public areas of the palace, and as they do she finds herself wondering how long before it will be 'Queen Jane'. The thought feels unconventional, but no longer quite so impossible, not now. She has lived and died and lived again, so nothing at all seems impossible at present. And though her heart aches for Odin, Jane's easy confidence is infectious. One day soon, their family will be whole again.

For a definition of 'whole' that includes her youngest son on the run; and her husband furiously muttering about the woman of her eldest's choice, of course, but she has learned to accept the small victories where she can get them.


End file.
